Raycast
Free / Pro from ~$8 per mo
Alfred
Free / Powerpack ~$45 one-time (lifetime ~$60)
Raycast is a modern Mac launcher with a rich extension store and built-in AI on a subscription. Alfred is the long-trusted launcher with deep, scriptable workflows and a one-time price. Raycast wins on polish, extensions, and AI; Alfred wins on scriptable power and one-time pricing.
Pick Raycast if you want a modern, polished launcher with a rich extension store and built-in AI, and a subscription is fine.
Pick Alfred if you want a fast, deeply scriptable launcher with powerful Workflows and prefer a one-time purchase.
Raycast and Alfred both replace and extend Spotlight on the Mac, letting you launch apps, run commands, and automate tasks from a single keystroke. Raycast is the modern, polished newcomer: a built-in extension store, native commands, team features, and AI baked in, offered free with a Pro subscription for AI and extras. Alfred is the veteran — rock-solid, fast, and famous for its deeply scriptable Workflows, sold as a free app with a one-time Powerpack purchase that unlocks the power features for life.
On price, Raycast is free with a Pro plan from around $8 a month, while Alfred is free with a one-time Powerpack purchase around $45 (or a lifetime license around $60). The choice is mostly modern polish, extensions, and AI (Raycast) versus scriptable power and one-time pricing (Alfred).
We compare extensions, AI, customization, pricing, and workflows.
| Quick facts | Raycast | Alfred |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Free / subscription | Free / one-time purchase |
| Paid price | Pro from ~$8/mo | Powerpack ~$45 one-time |
| Extension / plugin store | Best-in-class | Good (Workflows) |
| Built-in AI | Yes (Pro) | Limited |
| Best for | Modern polish + AI | Scriptable power + one-time price |
Each row reflects the feature on each product's current public release.
| Feature | R Raycast | A Alfred |
|---|---|---|
| App launching & quick commands | Yes | Yes |
| Extension / plugin marketplace | Best-in-class | Good |
| Scriptable custom workflows | Strong | Best-in-class |
| Built-in AI assistant | Best-in-class (Pro) | Limited |
| Clipboard history & snippets | Yes | Yes |
| One-time pricing option | No | Yes |
| Modern, polished UI | Best-in-class | Good |
| Mature & battle-tested | Good | Best-in-class |
Pricing and features change often. Always verify the current details on each product's official site. Last reviewed 2026-06-26.
Things neither product's marketing page leads with.
Raycast is more modern, with a thriving extension store and AI, but the best features sit behind a recurring Pro subscription.
Alfred is battle-tested and one-time-purchase, with unmatched scriptable Workflows, but it feels less modern and has no real built-in AI.
For polish and AI Raycast wins; for scriptable power and pay-once economics Alfred wins.
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